Online transparency and public communication at the local level
Examining digital tools to foster public control
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30962/ec.2664Keywords:
Transparency, Public Communication, Digital Democracy, Local AdministrationAbstract
This article provides a detailed investigation about to what extent the websites of municipalities in the Southern Region of Brazil improve public transparency. Our comparative examination encompasses a study of: a) legally required aspects and b) elements that exceed such mandatory demands in 21 cities. The results, arising from guided navigation and systematic observation techniques, reveal that a considerable part of the legal obligations has been fulfilled but that some flaws remain. The advanced tools available in specific cases suggest that legislation must be updated frequently. The article is relevant since it offers an analytical framework for advancing communication and public policy studies.
Downloads
References
ALMADA, M. Avaliação da e-Transparência em portais de governos nacionais. 263 f. 2017. Tese (Doutorado em Comunicação) – Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação e Cultura Contemporâneas, Faculdade de Comunicação, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, 2017.
AMORIM, P. Democracia e internet. 347 f. 2012. Tese (Doutorado em Comunicação) – Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação e Cultura Contemporâneas, Faculdade de Comunicação, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, 2012.
ARAUJO, J.; TEJEDO-ROMERO, F. Local Government Transparency Index. International Journal of Public Sector Management, v. 29, n. 4, p. 327-347, 2016.
BAUHR, M.; GRIMES, M. Indignation or Resignation: the Implications of Transparency for Societal Accountability. Governance, v. 27, n. 2, p. 291-320, 2014.
BAUME, S.; PAPADOPOULOS, Y. Transparency. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, v. 21, n. 2, p. 169-192, 2018.
BEARFIELD, D.; BOWMAN, A. Can You Find It on the Web?. American Review of Public Administration. v. 47, n. 2, p. 172-188, 2017.
BERLINER, D. The Political Origins of Transparency. The Journal of Politics, v. 76, n. 2, p. 479-491, 2014.
COELHO, T. et al. Transparência governamental nos estados e grandes municípios brasileiros. Cadernos Gestão Pública e Cidadania, v. 23, n. 75, p. 235-260, 2018.
COMEL, N. Transparência na casa do cidadão: uma avaliação dos websites de prefeituras da região Sul do Brasil. 296 f. 2021. Dissertação (Mestrado em Comunicação e Política) – Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação, Setor de Artes, Comunicação e Design, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, 2021.
CRUZ, C. et al. Transparência da gestão pública municipal. Revista de Administração Pública, Rio de Janeiro, v. 46, n. 1, p. 153-176, 2012.
DA CRUZ, N. et al. Measuring Local Government Transparency. Public Management Review, v. 18, n. 6, p. 866-893, 2015.
DUARTE, J. Instrumentos de comunicação pública. In: DUARTE, J. (Org.). Comunicação Pública. São Paulo: Atlas, 2009. p. 59-71.
ESTELLER-MORÉ, A.; POLO OTERO, J. Fiscal Transparency. Public Management Review, v. 14, n. 8, p. 1153-1173, 2012.
ETZIONI, A. The Limits of Transparency. In: ALLOA, E.; THOMÄ, D. (Eds.). Transparency, Society and Subjectivity. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018. p. 179-201.
FILGUEIRAS, F. Burocracias do controle, controle da burocracia e accountability no Brasil. In: PIRES, R.; LOTTA, G.; OLIVEIRA, V. (Org.). Burocracia e políticas públicas no Brasil. Brasília: Ipea, p. 355-381, 2018.
FUNG, A. Infotopia: Unleashing the Democratic Power of Transparency. Politics & Society, v. 41, n. 2, p. 183-212, 2013.
HARRISON, T.; SAYOGO, D. Transparency, participation, and accountability practices in open government. Government Information Quarterly, v. 31, n. 4, p. 513-525, 2014.
HEALD, D. Varieties of transparency. In: HOOD, C; HEALD, D. Transparency. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. p. 25-43.
HELD, D. Models of Democracy. 3. ed. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2006.
HERMAN, F.; MARQUES, F. P. J.; MIOLA, E. What factors influence the quality of local governments’ digital transparency? Evidence from the Brazilian case. Opinião Pública, v. 28, n. 3, p. 292-320, set./dez. 2022 (no prelo).
HOLLYER, J.; ROSENDORFF, B.; VREELAND, J. Democracy and Transparency. The Journal of Politics, v. 73, n. 4, p. 1191-1205, 2011.
IBGE – INSTITUTO BRASILEIRO DE GEOGRAFIA E ESTATÍSTICA. Divisão Regional do Brasil em Regiões Geográficas Imediatas e Regiões Geográficas Intermediárias. 2017. Disponível em: <https://www.ibge.gov.br/apps/regioes_geograficas>. Acesso em: 17 fev. 2022.
JAMBEIRO, O. et al. Poder local e transparência. Salvador: EdUFBA, 2020.
______; BORGES, J.; ANDRADE, R. Acessibilidade, navegabilidade e conteúdos em portais e websites de governo eletrônico em capitais brasileiras. Comunicação & Informação, v. 9, n. 2, p. 200-213, 2013.
______; OLIVEIRA, M.; MATA, V. Ferramentas de participação e transparência em websites de prefeituras brasileiras. Comunicação & Inovação, v. 19, n. 40, p. 123-143, 2018.
JUSTICE, J.; MCNUTT, J. Social Capital, E-Government, and Fiscal Transparency in the States. Public Integrity, v. 16, n. 1, p. 5-24, 2013.
KNIESS, A. B.; MARQUES, F. P. J. Como o agente fiscalizador utiliza a comunicação online? A ideia de transparência pública nas redes sociais da Controladoria-Geral da União. Opinião Pública, v. 27, p. 90-126, 2021.
LOWATCHARIN, G.; MENIFIELD, C. Determinants of Internet-enabled Transparency at the Local Level. State and Local Government Review, v. 47, p. 102-115, 2015.
MARGETTS, H. The Internet and Transparency. The Political Quarterly, v. 82, p. 518-521, 2011.
MARQUES, F. P. J. Internet e transparência política. In: MENDONÇA, R.; FILGUEIRAS, F.; PEREIRA, M. (Orgs.). Democracia digital. Belo Horizonte: Editora UFMG, 2016. p. 55-78.
MEIJER, A. Understanding Modern Transparency. International Review of Administrative Sciences, v. 75, n. 2, p. 255-269, 2009.
MIOLA, E.; MARQUES, F. P. J. Por uma definição de comunicação pública. In: CONGRESSO DA COMPOLÍTICA, 8., 2017, Porto Alegre. Anais... Porto Alegre, 2017. p. 1-22.
MPF – MINISTÉRIO PÚBLICO FEDERAL. Portal do ranking nacional da transparência. 2019. Disponível em: <http://www.rankingdatransparencia.mpf.mp.br/>. Acesso em: 17 fev. 2022.
PINHO, J. Investigando portais de governo eletrônico de estados no Brasil. Revista de Administração Pública, v. 42, n. 3, p. 471-493, 2008.
RODRIGUES, M. Governança digital e transparência pública. 2016. Dissertação (Mestrado em Ciência Política) – Setor de Ciências Humanas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, 2016.
SAEZ-MARTIN, A.; CABA-PEREZ, C.; LOPEZ-HERNANDEZ, A. Freedom of Information in Local Government. Local Government Studies, v. 43, n. 2, p. 245-273, 2016.
SCHUDSON, M. The Shortcomings of Transparency for Democracy. American Behavioral Scientist, p. 1-9, 2020.
SIMELIO, N. et al. Journalism, Transparency and Citizen Participation. Information, Communication & Society, v. 22, p. 369-385, 2017.
SOUZA, F. et al. Índice de transparência municipal. Revista de Gestão, Finanças e Contabilidade, v. 3, n. 3, p. 94-113, 2013.
TEJEDO-ROMERO, F.; ARAUJO, J. Determinants of Local Governments’ Transparency in Times of Crisis. Administration & Society, v. 50, n. 4, p. 527-554, 2015.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Naiza Comel, Francisco Paulo Jamil Marques
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The submission of originals to this journal implies the transfer, by the authors, of the printed and digital publication rights. The copyrights for the published articles belong to the author, with the rights of the journal over the first publication. The authors can only use the same results in other publications, clearly indicating this journal as the source of the original publication. Because we are an open-access journal, the free-of-charge,educational, scientific, and non-commercial use of the papers is allowed, as long as the source is cited.
Authorship
Any person who has effectively participated in the conception of the study, the development of the experimental part, the analysis and interpretation of data and the final wording, is considered as an author. By submitting an article for publication in E-Compós Journal, the author agrees with the following terms: 1. The author keeps the rights on the article, but its publication in the journal automatically implies the full and exclusive disposal of the copyright rights for the first edition, without payment. 2. The ideas and opinions expressed in the article are the sole responsibility of the author, not necessarily reflecting the views of the journal. 3. After the first publication, the author is authorized to take additional contracts, independent of the journal, for the dissemination of the paper by other means (e.g. when publishing in the institutional repository or as a book chapter), provided that the complete citation of the original publication. 4. The author of a published article is allowed and is stimulated to distribute his work online, always with the proper citation of the first edition.
Conflicts of interest and research ethics
If the developed research or the publication of the article may raise doubts as to potential conflicts of interest, the author should declare, in a final note, that no links to funding bodies have been omitted, as well as to commercial or political institutions. Similarly, the institution to which the author is bound should be mentioned, as well as others that may have collaborated in the execution of the study, evidencing that there are no conflicts of interest with the result already presented. It is also necessary to inform that the interviews and experiences involving human beings have obeyed the established ethical procedures for scientific research. The names and addresses informed in this journal will be used exclusively for the services provided by this publication, not made available for other purposes or to third parties. The copyrights belong exclusively to the authors. The licensing rights used by the journal consist in the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license: sharing (copying and distribution of the material in any media or format) and adaptation (remix, transformation and creation of material from licensed content for any purposes, including commercial) are permitted.